The Newest Family
by Imaginationqueen87
Summary: In a freak accident, to be discussed in another story, Commander Cruger ends up getting a human form... things happen and let's just say Sydney Drew may have another baby to spoil! Crazyness and fun... CrugerxKat, minor SydxOC, JackxOC, SkyxOC
1. Chapter 1

Disclaimer: Don't own Power rangers

A/N: there will be a prequel that fills in some of the holes that might exist in this story as in the twin girls (Erin and Emily) are six months old… pls. no flames for lose ends!

**The Newest Family**

Kat stood working in the command center when her world started to spin, she grabbed the console to keep her footing and Cruger noticed this instantly.

"Kat, are you okay?" he asked

"Yes, I'm fine, just a little dizzy"

"Last I checked, dizzy meant you weren't fine" Cruger said walking over to her.

"I'm fine!" she insisted then started to walk away, got four steps and fainted… Cruger nearly had a heart attack.

"Kat!" he exclaimed and ran to her side.

He picked her up and carried her to the infirmary, it was the only thing he knew to do.

The word spread fast that Kat had fainted in the middle of the command center and soon hit b squad and Sydney Drew.

"I can't believe it, Kat… fainted," she said, "I never thought her the kind to faint"

"Well, we don't really know what happened" Jack said, "Something may be really wrong with her"

"Come on mom…" Kathleen whispered, as she looked out on the poring rain "you have to be okay!"

Sky sighed as he looked over at his wife, he knew that she was worried about Kat, and he hoped that Kat was going to be okay.

'I wish I knew what I could do to help my wife' Sky thought as he knew that it was hard for Kathleen to hear about their being something wrong with her mother and there being nothing they could do about it.

"Guys, we've got to think about Kathleen here, nothing the two of you have said are any help to her… remember she is Kat's daughter" Sky said

Everyone went silent, they hadn't thought about how this affected Kathleen. She was Kat's daughter, and of all of them, she was the closest to Kat, for obvious reasons, and the most worried about Kat's current condition.

"Cadet Tate, Cadet Manx, report to the infirmary" a voice called over the intercom

Sky looked at Kathleen and sighed then approached her.

"We're needed in the infirmary," Sky said

"I'm coming," she grumbled

Sky and Kathleen arrived to see Cruger sitting in a chair by himself.

"Commander, what's going on?" Kathleen asked

"Kathleen, I believe that is for your mother to tell you… Sky, may I speak with you," he said

"Yes sir" Sky said approaching his commanding officer… at first glance Sky would have said Cruger was scared, upon looking further into his commanding officer's eyes, he came to realize he was petrified. Sky had never seen Cruger like this before, and he knew this was serious.

Kathleen entered the private portion of the infirmary where her mother was resting.

"Mom, are you okay, you gave us a really good scare earlier…"

"Yes, Kathleen, I'm okay" Kat replied, understanding that her daughter was worried, for good reason "well, what happened today means a miracle has happened to me… years ago, I was told I could never get pregnant again… and Kathleen, I… I'm pregnant"

Kathleen felt a knot develop in her throat; it made perfect sense when Kathleen thought about it, her mother had been, well in a word, temperamental the last few days, Boom and Bridge getting the brunt of it, as they were the only ones close enough, and goofy enough, to annoy her.

"Whoa…" Kathleen sat back in her chair… this was a lot to process, too much for her to take in one sitting that's for sure.

"Are you okay?" Kat asked

"Yes, mom, I'm fine, I just need to let this soak in a few seconds…" Kathleen replied

"I know, that's a lot for you to take in… don't worry, I'm still a bit shocked myself"

"Of course you are… so am I" Kathleen sighed "Mom, if you don't mind my asking… who is the father of this new baby?"

Kat sighed, it would come out eventually, might as well be from her

"Cruger" Kat replied simply

_To Be Continued…_

A/n: ((Hides behind Sky)) don't hurt me for this, it was an idea I had long ago, it would have been posted sooner but I lost it and had to rewrite it from the begining

Pls. leave a review and note that all flames will be redirected at the nearest hurricane


	2. Chapter 2

Sky sighed as he spoke with Cruger; it was a lot for any man to process, Sky knew better than anyone else how hard it was to process hearing "You are going to be a _father_".

It was a stretch for Sky to imagine Cruger as a father, but he figured that whatever he was feeling at the moment, Kathleen was even more shocked; she was hearing it from her mother.

"Commander, do you know what you plan to do from here?" Sky asked

"No I don't" Cruger replied

Then an alarm started to go off and they headed for the Command Center. There was a craft on a collision course with the center of town, and there was no way the rangers were going to be able to stop it.

They went out to the crash to find survivors and found one… a man who was already believed to be dead, Kathleen's father, Milton.

Kathleen was stunned as she had only seen him in pictures, but she recognized him instantly.

"You're… Milton Andrews, right?" Kathleen asked

"Yes, and you are?"

"Kathleen Tate" she replied

Milton asked about Katherine, but the rangers were confused as they were used to Kat using her maiden name, Manx, not her married, Andrews.

"We don't know who you're talking about" Z said

"Wait, he means Kat Manx… 'Manx' is Kat's maiden name" Sky said

"She went back to her maiden name, my apologies, I didn't know" Milton replied

"Well she's at the SPD base" Bridge said

"She wasn't feeling well last I heard" Sky said, "She may be asleep right now"

Kathleen thought a second then realized what Sky was doing hiding the fact that Kat was pregnant by another man, namely their commanding officer. It wasn't wise to let him know that fact yet.

"And might I ask how you know?" Milton asked

"I'm Sky Tate, Kathleen, Kat's daughter, is my wife" Sky replied, he read in his wife's eyes that she was suspicious about her 'father' she didn't know why, but something felt wrong… later on she would voice that concern, but it would be brushed off… even thought Sky and Cruger became a little more aware after she said that

Milton went to check on Kat in the infirmary and he swore she looked like she had seen a ghost when she first saw him.

"Did I miss something?" he asked as she hugged him sure she still loved him, but there was one thing she had to remember, she carried the baby of a man she now loved more than her husband.

"Milton, we were all told you had died in the battle for Azerakat" she said looking him in the eye.

Milton hugged his wife tighter in his arms, he had no idea that she thought he was dead, had he known, he would have found her sooner.

Kathleen was sitting in the bedroom she and Sky shared with their twin daughters

"I can't wrap my head around it, Sky…" Kathleen said "I find out my mom is pregnant by _our_ commanding officer, and then my father shows up…" she continued to say "I try to make sense of it and I get a big, fat '**DOES NOT COMPUTE**!'" Kathleen sighed in frustration

Sky sighed, this was awkward… how would Kat tell her husband that she was pregnant by another man… it wasn't going to be easy, but there was one thing that Sky figured, he would understand, they thought he was gone, she had tried to move on with her life… which included a new love, Cruger.

Kat spoke with Milton for hours about what he missed out on, including his daughter's wedding and the birth of her identical twin daughters, Erin and Emily.

Milton didn't ask what was wrong with Kat, he figured that wasn't what was important right that moment; what was important was for them to get to know each other again.

Kat was noticing some inconsistencies in Milton's telling of the past, but she didn't say any thing, she figured he didn't remember it very well. She was okay with that, she was sketchy with some details herself after all these years. What she did notice was there was something strangely different about him, sure twenty something years was more than enough to change someone dramatically, but this just felt strange, she didn't know that her daughter saw it as well and felt a little more suspicious about his sudden appearance.

The next day Milton figured it was time for him to ask his wife what was going on and she told him exactly what happening.

"Wait a minute, you mean to tell me you slept with another man…" he seemed angry

"Milton, what did you expect me to do, remain single for the rest of my life? I hate to inform you, but even if you aren't around my life will go on! You may think you're the center of the universe, but you aren't!" Kat wasn't going to take his attitude

"Well, Kat, I thought you would be true to me…"

"I believe our vows said 'until death do us part', and for the last twenty four years I believed you were dead… and I thought you would have wanted me to go on living my life!" Kat was furious.

"But I came back now…"

"Too little, too late, Milton, you should have come back years ago…" she paused "I have a few questions for you… where were you when our daughter needed you… like when her step father beat her up… or when her ex-boyfriend raped her… where the hell were you?" Kat demanded

Milton grabbed her wrist

"That doesn't matter… you were the one who got pregnant, and I expect you to have an abortion"

"Oh, now you've crossed the line" Kat said in anger

"Oh have I?" Milton backhanded Kat across the face as a strange man stepped into the room

Jason wasn't too sure what he had just walked in on, or where in the name of peace he was, but he realized this argument was becoming violent, and if someone didn't step in the woman involved might get hurt... he had no way of knowing she was pregnant

"Hey, can't you make a point without hurting someone?" Jason demanded towards Milton

"I don't have to answer to you… Kat, you heard me… don't forget, I mean what I say" Milton left the lab and Jason turned to Kat.

"Are you okay?" he asked

"No" she replied then she, as well left the lab, but her exit was different, she was in tears and for some reason she had to get out, she wasn't sure where she was going, but it was away from Milton.

Cruger was headed towards the lab from the opposite direction when he saw Kat coming. He caught her in his arms gently.

"Kat, what's wrong?" he asked

"It's Milton… there's something wrong with him" she sobbed

_To Be Continued…_


	3. Chapter 3

Cruger guided Kat to a private spot to talk, it was all he could do… he began to gently comfort her, his love.

"Kat, what's wrong with him…"

"I'm not sure…" Kat paused "I told him about our baby and he got furious… he… he wants me to have an abortion"

"Kat, no, this isn't what you want is it?"

"No" she wiped at her tears "I've wanted to raise a child my entire life… and this is my one chance… there isn't enough money in the galaxy to make me want to give it up."

Cruger hugged her near again.

"Don't worry Kat, you won't have to, I'll take care of you…"

Jason Scott walked out of the laboratory and soon ran into Bridge Carson

"Listen, man, can you tell me where I am?"

"You're in SPD Earth Station, why do you ask?"

Jason looked confused; Bridge soon remembered the anomaly that had been reported on the sensors earlier… it had been a time hole… maybe this guy was from that time hole.

"Can you tell me what year it is?"

"I'm guessing it's not nineteen ninety five anymore"

"Nope, try two thousand twenty five" Bridge replied

"Whoa…" Jason was a bit shocked

"I'm Bridge"

"Jason… it's good to meet you"

"You too" Bridge showed Jason to the rec. room, then went to find Cruger to tell him what was going on, he didn't know that Cruger was now furious.

"Kat, you don't have to listen to a word he says, I will always be here for you, I promise" Cruger noticed a red mark on Kat's cheek and he instantly wanted to kill Milton

"Kat what happened?"

She said nothing for a moment then told him that her husband had backhanded her when she refused to give up the baby. That was when Cruger really wanted to kill Milton; he had no right to touch Kat, much less hit her… He didn't realize that the guy that backhanded Kat wasn't really Milton… it was a spy sent to hack into the computers and steal top-secret technology.

The word of this spread around and Bridge and Kathleen began to both ask questions about whether or not that was really Milton.

"Bridge… will you read his aura and tell me what you think?"

"Sure" Bridge replied and read Milton's aura "… I think… he's as fake as a three dollar bill"

"You're kidding!"

"Nope, no jokes…"

"Oh, Cruger's gonna kill him" Kathleen said

"Yeah, but how are we going to…"

"You read his aura… Cruger will believe you if you tell him that you read the guys aura and found out the guy was a spy," Kathleen said

"You've got a point," Bridge said and they headed for the Command Center as Cruger and Kat arrived there

"Commander, we have some news about Milton" Kathleen said

"Just a few minutes cadets" Cruger said as he wanted to send Kat back to her lab.

"Commander, she shouldn't be alone with him… he isn't who he clams to be" Kathleen said

"What do you mean?" Cruger asked

"I read his aura, and it didn't match his appearance, meaning that it couldn't be him" Bridge said

"We have a _spy_ on the base?" Cruger said

"It appears that way," Kathleen said

"Kat, stay here… Cadets stay with her…"

"Sir, should I call special forces squad?"

Sky headed towards Kat's lab from the open door of the command center, he had overheard what Bridge and Kathleen said and saw the forming bruise on his mother-in-law's face and was infuriated, it angered him even worse to think that the one injured could have been Kathleen. It could have been argued that not even Cruger could have stopped him from going and doing what he was about to do.

Sky arrived at the lab and saw Milton sitting at Kat's computer trying to figure out her password.

"Hey, what are you doing" Sky demanded

"Nothing" Milton replied

"I take that back, 'Who are you?'" Sky demanded

"You know who I am, you're father-in-law…"

"No, you aren't, I refuse to believe my father-in-law would hit a pregnant woman across the face… especially seeing that pregnant woman was his own wife" Sky said

"Okay, you've figured me out, what are you going to do about it Schuyler?"

"You don't want to know what I'm going to do about it you sorry son of a…" Sky roared

"He's going to do nothing, I am the one you have to face!" Cruger said

"Oh yeah?"

"You won't raise a hand to Kat and get away with it, I made a promise years ago to a good friend that I wouldn't let her get hurt… and I always keep my word" Cruger said as he and Milton got into a fight.

Milton somehow managed to escape but word was sent out that he was to be apprehended at all cost.

Kathleen and Bridge were with Kat when Milton got to the command center and changed to his true form.

"SPD EMERGENCY" Kathleen and Bridge said together and morphed

"…Special Forces Red"

"…SPD Green"

"We won't let you get to Kat" Bridge said

"No, you won't raise a hand to my mother again, do you understand me?" Kathleen demanded

"Yes, but you never said I couldn't hurt _you_" the stranger said

Kathleen gasped as he went straight after her… the battle went on and after a few minutes he had her dimorphed pinned against a console, and a dagger to her throat.

'I know I shouldn't kill him, but what other choice have I got' Kathleen wondered to herself as she felt her civilian laser under her right hand 'either I kill him or he kills me…'

Cruger arrived and realized only Kathleen could save herself from this spot.

Before the imposter could react Kathleen had gotten in one shot with her civilian laser, he wouldn't survive that blast. He fell away, dead.

"Did I…" Kathleen asked

"He won't hurt anyone ever again, Kathleen" Cruger said after checking the man's pulse

"I… I killed him?" Kathleen asked

"Yes" Cruger sighed

Kat approached her and began to try and comfort her daughter

No one said a word; this meant Milton really was dead…

"Commander, you said you were keeping a promise to a friend… if I may ask, who was this 'friend' sir?" Sky asked

"The real Milton Andrews…"

_To Be Continued…_


	4. Chapter 4

"… I had met him (Milton) before the final battle and we became friends, that's how I knew Kat, although, back then, she and I weren't exactly friends… during the final battle he was fatally wounded and I when I found him he was almost dead…" Cruger paused "with his final breath he asked me to promise him that I would make sure Kat remained safe… I'll never forget his words or his true bond with Kat… she was devastated when I had to give her the news that he was gone" Cruger sighed "when this guy came in I thought that perhaps someone had managed to save him, but apparently, that wasn't the case"

Kat was currently too busy comforting her daughter to ask Cruger why he hadn't told her that he spoke with Milton before his death; she would bring that up at a later time.

Sky went over to take care of his wife and Cruger felt a firm hand on his arm… it was Kat.

"We need to talk," she said

They went into a separate room

"Anubis Cruger… why the hell didn't you tell me that you talked to Milton during the final battle?" she demanded

"Kat… calm down, let me explain… you were so upset I didn't think you could take what he said then"

"You thought _I_ couldn't handle it?" she demanded

"Kat, just listen to me" Cruger said "He told me to tell you that he loved you and wanted to make sure you would be safe"

"What makes you think I couldn't take hearing that he loved me? Tell me that, Doggie"

Cruger was silent, there was no way to justify what he did, the only thing he could think of to do was to apologize, and hope she forgave him.

A few days pass and Jason is returned to his home time and place to the relief of his teammates… but there was a lot of time left before Kat had her baby, and a lot more time for strange things to happen.

Two months pass with few major disasters occurring. Sophie has joined the staff of the base, full time, to ease the stress on Kat since it was thought that stress might have been the reason Kat had her last baby premature… that, among other things.

Cruger walked to Kat's lab, he knew what he needed to do… it was time he gave her the gift he had been meaning to give her… It was an engagement ring.

They had arranged for a lunch together that day and he thought then would be perfect.

After they had that lunch, she had started to leave when he caught her hand gently

"Kat, there is something I want to ask you, I know it's kind of late… but I wanted to know if you would" Cruger sighed and swallowed the incredibly large knot that had developed in his throat "If you would marry me?"

Kat looked surprised, that was the last thing she thought he was going to ask, but of course, there was only one answer

"Yes"

Cruger pulled the ring from his pocket and placed it gently on the ring finger of her left hand… it fit perfectly. He embraced her gently in his arms… they were together and would finally be a family. The wedding was postponed until after Kat had her baby, but they had decided to marry legally before then, if for no other reason, so that the baby could be given his last name at birth so they wouldn't have to go through the process of adoption so the name could be changed later.

Kat sighed as she walked… it was a perfect day; little arguing among the cadets, no big Gruumm attacks. It seemed like it would be the perfect day… but what she should have realized was there was no such thing as a normal day when you've got Gruumm as your enemy. Kat walked across the courtyard towards the base and before she could get halfway across she found herself surrounded by Krybots, with Broodwing standing right in front of her.

"And I thought I'd get to go one day without seeing you" she sneered

"Well, Dr. Manx, I hate to disappoint you, but we decided to crash your little party… and, I hope you don't mind, we had your 'husband' spring an old friend out of Containment"

Kat gasped in horror at who she saw… he would be more than happy to kill her, and her unborn baby without the slightest bit of remorse about it

Cruger was stunned when the alarms started to go off to alert him that there were intruders on the base… he gave a low growl when security told him who was there, and what was going on.

Cruger looked at the monitor and saw who it was.

"No… not him" he whispered and ran outside… he had to save his fiancé

_To Be Continued…_

Pls. leave a reivew and note that all flames will be redirected at the nearest hurricane


	5. Chapter 5

General Benagg stood beside Broodwing.

Then they heard a strange voice speaking in Japanese, and a yellow ranger attacked Broodwing.

"Z?" Kat wondered as the yellow ranger looked at her and shook her head

"Jasmine" the girl said simply

Kat was confused since when did they have a yellow ranger named Jasmine… who spoke Japanese… apparently, she spoke only Japanese

Broodwing and Benagg left, swearing that they would return

"_I don't understand why an alienizer would go after a civilian?_" Jasmine whispered

"_Because I'm no ordinary civilian_" Kat replied in perfect Japanese

"_Pardon me…_" Jasmine powered down

"_I should be thanking you Jasmine, you saved my life_"

Jasmine smiled "_Congratulations… you are expecting a child, are you not?_"

"_Yes… I am_"

"_I think we should go inside_"

"_I agree_"

Kat headed inside with Jasmine, who was overwhelmed by how different this base was from the SPD she was used to 'Special Police Dekaranger' and 'Space Patrol Delta' couldn't have been more different if they tried.

"_This is different_" Jasmine said

"_What do you mean?_"

"_This is Special Police Dekaranger, is it not?_"

"_No, this is Space Patrol Delta_" Kat replied in confusion "Jasmine…"

Jasmine looked as if she had seen a ghost

Kat turned to see Cruger standing behind her

"Commander?"

"Kat, who is this?" Cruger asked

"This is Jasmine, she is the ranger that saved me"

"But our yellow ranger is Z"

"It is, I am beginning to think that Jasmine might have been sent from an alternate timeline… another dimension if you will… along with another country"

"Another country, which one?"

"Japan" Kat replied simply

Cruger gave Kat an odd look

"Japan?"

"Her first, and possibly only language is Japanese… but I have something that might help her communicate with you and the b squad" Kat said then turned to Jasmine "_Jasmine san, will you come with me?_"

"_Yes,_" Jasmine followed Kat

"_Pardon my rudeness, but I never got your name?_"

"_You can call me Kat_"

"_Kat san, I hope you can find a way for me to get home_" Jasmine said

"_I'm sure… with Sophie's help, it should be no problem_" Kat smiled "_getting you back to your home is the least I can do after you saved my life, and the life of my baby._"

Kat went through the files of her computer

"_You would really like Swan san_" Jasmine said

"_Who?_" Kat asked

"_She worked on the technology for Special Police Dekaranger, her name was Swan, I think you two would get along great_" Jasmine smiled

"_Okay, I found what I was looking for_" Kat smiled as a small device appeared on the table

"_Jasmine, that is a translator, it is set to translate English to Japanese, you just put it on your ear, and when someone speaks to you in English, you will hear it translated to Japanese_" Kat paused "_I'll just get some ready for our rangers, and the special one for the commander, I don't need one, I speak Japanese… Oh, can't forget my assistant, Boom…_"

Jasmine placed hers over her right ear as Sophie walked in.

"Sophie, do you understand Japanese?"

"Yes, why?" Sophie asked then looked at Jasmine "Oh, okay…" Sophie smiled and reverted to Japanese speech "_I'm Sophie, and you are?_"

"Jasmine"

Kat gathered the other translators in her hands and walked to the command center, Jasmine right behind her… she didn't know her way around this base so she felt it was best to stick close to Kat, who, apparently, knew the place like the back of her hand.

"Kat, what have you got there?" Cruger asked

"Translators, this way Jasmine can communicate with us" Kat said then turned to the console and placed them on the center.

Cruger found the special one she had created for him and placed it where he could use it.

Jasmine watched as Kat pressed the intercom button

"Rangers, report to the command center" Kat said and released the button and turned to Jasmine

"Jasmine-san, please don't think I'm rude for asking, but why do you wear gloves, I know our green ranger wears them so that he can keep control of his powers…"

"He is and ESPer?" she asked

"Yes…"

"So am I, that is why I have to wear gloves, or my powers would be out of control"

Kat smiled, "Okay, I understand that, it's the same reason Bridge has to wear them"

Meanwhile Z walked around the streets of the strange new city.

"_Hey, she's Space Police!_" someone said

"_But her uniform is different…_" the second person said

"_Who cares… she can help!_"

Z didn't understand a word the duo said, but she recognized 'Space Police' and realized something might be wrong. She then saw a strange monster.

'Great, new city, same old problem!' she thought

Z took out after the Krybots and began to fight them, she used her replication to add weight to her side of the fight… but, apparently, it wasn't enough

"Oh great… only one choice left… I hope this works," she whispered "SPD EMERGENCY" she morphed "… SPD YELLOW"

She was soon surrounded by people she thought might be her teammates, but the truth was they didn't know her, and she didn't know them.

"Jack?"

Ban didn't reply, he didn't know who this 'Jack' was, nor who this new girl was, all he knew was she was, most likely, on the same side as them… so they were going to help her the best they could. They didn't know what she was saying, but they realized that Swan might.

They arrived at the Dekaranger headquarters with Z and Ban figured she was trying to infiltrate the Space Police and steal stuff… her uniform was a bad replica of theirs in his eyes, he had no idea the truth of the situation.

She was put in interrogation, in which they became increasingly frustrated.

Sen did a handstand

"What's he thinking?"

"I think we'll find out, Boss" Umeko replied

Sen went back to standing on his feet.

"Boss, I know why we haven't gotten information from her, she doesn't understand us, she's from another country, and another dimension!" Sen said

"Are you sure about this?" 'Boss' asked

"Yes, sir"

"Go find Swan-san"

"Okay" Umeko left and Kruger (Spelled different so as the American "Cruger" and Japanese ones can be told apart) went into the interrogation room to stop his team.

Swan came in with Umeko and revealed that she spoke perfect English and would talk with the new girl.

"I just don't understand what they think I'm trying to do" Z said, she was confused, a bit scared and just wanted to see a friend.

"It's okay" Swan comforted her gently, "you couldn't get your point across because you weren't understood."

"I know, but I just want to go home, and see my friends again!"

"I understand… of course you would want to see your friends…"

"Well, one of my friends, was the scientist at our base, her name is Kat, she's expecting a baby soon, and I want to be there when she has her baby"

"If we have Z, from Space Patrol Delta, I wonder what happened to Jasmine" Hoji said, then looked to see Sen, once again, in his thinking position.

"Ah…"

"Eh?" Umeko said as Sen got back on his feet.

"Sen-chan, what is it?" she asked

"Jasmine and Z were switched…"

_To Be Continued…_


	6. Chapter 6

A/N: This chapter is for garnetred and Equestrianhunni23 thank you for your support in reviewing just about every chapter so far

* * *

"Meaning, Space Patrol Delta has Jasmine and we have Elizabeth…" Kruger said

"I believe she prefers Z to Elizabeth, boss" Umeko said "or that's what Swan-san told us"

"Okay, I'll just have to get used to that name"

Swan sighed

"I have a translation device that would be of help to you… but I'm afraid that as long as you battle as Space Police, you will have to wear our issued uniform, I will make sure we get it for you"

"Thank you, you've been a big help, I feel a little more at home here." Z said

"It is no problem, I am sure you will become more comfortable with our rangers once you can understand them"

"I'm sure I will" Z sighed

Meanwhile: Jasmine was adjusting to her new surroundings; Syd had gotten her a uniform to where she matched the rest of the team.

"This is so different from what I'm used to, I'm used to the way that Boss runs things…" Jasmine sighed, "Syd, how do you address Cruger"

"Commander, or sir, typically… unless instructed otherwise…"

"This is so different from Space Police" Jasmine rested her head in her hands "I just wish I could go home"

"Don't worry, Kat will find a way to get you home…"

Jasmine sighed

"Jack, you have to calm down, it isn't Jasmine's fault that Z is missing!" Sky said, "she already told us she doesn't even know who Z is!"

Bridge was in a handstand, trying to figure out what was going on.

"Ah-ha! I think I figured out what happened!" Bridge got onto his feet again.

"What happened?" Jack demanded

"Z and Jasmine were swapped… so we have Jasmine they have Z!"

"Great, now what?" Jack demanded

"Now we tell Kat that we think that Z is where Jasmine is supposed to be!" Sky said

Jasmine went to the Command Center

"Commander?" she said

"Yes, Jasmine?" he replied

"I realize that the regulations here are different from my home, but I am willing to help however I can, sir," she said

"You've talked to Syd about regulations"

"Yes, sir" Jasmine was trying her best to remember the 'sir' part, she was so ingrained to saying 'boss' she was afraid she might slip up.

"Jasmine, I don't expect you to be able to know all of our rules, all I ask is that you do your best to follow the rules that you do know… Kathleen Manx-Tate, is the Special Forces red ranger, she will probably be your biggest help in fitting in here" Cruger paused "she is Kat's daughter, so if you can't find her ask Kat, she will get you in contact with her daughter."

"Jasmine…" it was Kathleen

"Cadet Manx…" Cruger said

"Pardon me, sir" Kathleen turned to Jasmine "How are you doing?"

"I guess I'm okay, I just hope your friend, Z is okay"

"We all do, Jasmine… I'll help you learn the most important rules around here… which is probably more similar to what you're used to than you realize" Kathleen smiled gently as the girls left the command center and went to the rec. room and began to go over a few of the rules, the most necessary ones only, of course. Jasmine soon noticed Kathleen's badge, it was _gold_… meaning she was specially trained, or that was how Jasmine interpreted it. She didn't ask Kathleen about the meaning of her gold badge, as she knew that it didn't always that the person acted like a superior, in the case of Tetsu, he was like any other ranger at their home base.

Z sighed dejectedly as she looked down at the uniform they had given her.

"Great, at least explain what these patch things are?"

"They're gloves" Umeko said and pulled hers off and demonstrated how they worked

"That's neat" Z smiled

"Jasmine usually didn't use them since she already wore gloves all the time to keep her powers under control."

"Really?" Z gave Umeko and odd look "Kind of like our green ranger, but there is one thing about our green ranger… he rambles, a lot"

Jasmine sighed she was deep in her thoughts when she saw a baby girl standing by one of the tables. She was holding herself up on the table and gave her a broad grin.

_

* * *

To Be Continued…_


	7. Chapter 7

"Oh, you're cute" Jasmine smiled at the little girl "what is your name?"

"Erin!" Bridge called

"Is this who you're looking for?" Jasmine asked as she picked the baby up in her arms

"Yes, that's Kathleen's daughter, Erin" Bridge explained "I was supposed to be watching her and her twin sister Emily, but she got away from me"

"She's one of twins"

"Identical twins, the only way I know that's Erin is the fact that she went to you… she likes new people, her sister would be screaming by now" Bridge explained "I'm Bridge, sorry I didn't introduce myself sooner"

"I'm Jasmine, but, I think you already knew that" Jasmine smiled "Here… I think she needs a diaper change"

"Great, my least favorite task… I usually call Kathleen for this, I…"

"Don't scare the poor girl off with your ramblings, Bridge" Sydney said

"I don't ramble…"

"Yeah right, whatever, Bridge!" Syd replied, "We all know you do… a lot!" Syd turned to Jasmine "Don't worry about him, he may seem weird, but he's harmless"

"Okay" Jasmine said as Bridge took Erin to get cleaned up.

Jasmine and Syd went to Syd's room and Z's things intrigued Jasmine.

"That's Z's side of the room…" Syd explained, "She used to live on the streets, I guess that is reflected in everything she owns."

"You would be surprised how much these things can tell me" Jasmine said "Just by touching them I can learn so much about her"

"You want to know about Z, then you need to talk to Jack, those two are like brother and sister… if anyone can tell you about her, it's him" Syd explained

"Really, I guess it's good to have a friend you are that close to" Jasmine said.

"Yeah, I think you're right" Syd sighed

"Can you tell me about anyone else…"

"Let's see, Kathleen and the rest of her squad were sent here specially by Supreme Commander Birdie… I don't think he was planning their red ranger and our blue ranger to get together and end up marrying each other. The baby you were holding earlier was one of their twin daughters." Syd explained

Jasmine was a little surprised that a gold badge and a plain badge were allowed to marry each other, what was even more surprising was that Kathleen didn't leave her position at SPD, she was still a devoted cadet working her way up in the rankings. That was the part that confused Jasmine, it was tradition where she lived for a woman to leave the organization she worked for when she got married, but she figured it was different since Kathleen married someone who also worked for the same organization. Then again, traditions were different here than she was used to… everything was different. She just hopped she could fit in here until she got home.

Jasmine went back to the rec. room and saw Jack sitting alone watching it rain outside.

"Jack?" she said

"Yes, Jasmine, have a seat…" he said sitting up better "are you okay?"

"Yes, I'm fine, I just wanted to talk to you about Z… I want to know about the person that is now in my place"

"Okay, well, it's difficult for me to talk about Z, I've known her since she was thirteen, and she's been my best friend… she's like my sister." Jack paused "Z is tough, she doesn't take lightly to being pushed around, she's been that way for almost as long as I've known her… she may have a rough exterior, but she has a warm heart, she's very sympathetic to others in bad situations. That may be the reason she joined SPD… we were arrested for theft and distribution of stolen goods… The commander handed us a deal, we could either serve our time in jail, or become a part of SPD and really make a difference… she jumped at the chance; she was always looking for something 'bigger' she never felt like we did enough back then. This was a blessing for both of us… we would have probably died on the streets if it weren't for Cruger" Jack sighed "I was fifteen when I ran into a then, thirteen year old, Z… she had lost both of her parents and was driven out of the orphanage she was living in due to her special ability."

"She is an ESPer?"

"No, she can create replicas of herself…" Jack paused "the kids would call her freak and monster and she ended up running away in the middle of a class at school. I found her a few weeks after that in an alleyway, a drunk had attacked her… who knows what would have happened if I hadn't stepped in"

Jasmine began to think about what Jack had said about Z, and wondered what it was like to be around Z, to really know her.

Meanwhile: Z was gathering information about Jasmine. She was learning that Jasmine was rather withdrawn, and after learning about her special ability, Z wasn't too surprised that Jasmine was withdrawn.

Z wondered about her Goddaughters and prayed that they were okay. She already figured that they were fine their father was fiercely protective of them, as was their commanding officer… Z didn't know about the exact details about what happened to Milton, all she knew was that he had been a spy and he was as the Dekarangers say 'Deleted', by Kathleen, in a bought of self defense. She had ended up firing her civilian laser at his chest and the blast went through him, killing him instantly. She wished she was there to comfort Kathleen through her time of need, but she was here, in this alternate dimension.

"Lord, I know I have asked of you a lot before, I asked you for guidance, you gave me Jack, I asked you to show me how to help your people and you placed me in Space Patrol Delta, and for all of that I thank you humbly with all of my heart… Now I ask you to watch over Kathleen and let he know that she will be okay, things may seem bad now, but they will get better… Keep your hand in her life because she needs you now more than ever… and please make sure Kat has a healthy baby, she would be a wonderful mother in Jesus name I pray... amen" Z whispered to herself.

"Z?" it was Hoji "Is something wrong?"

"I'm just worried about a friend of mine… she attacked not to long ago and she ended up killing her attacker in self defense, she took that badly and I just hope she'll be okay." Z said, "the thing that got her the most was the fact that the guy had been posing as her father for the last few days, she never knew her real father and it was hard for her to kill him"

"That had to be hard on her, she killed the guy that she had wanted to believe was her father…" Hoji shook his head "I just hope she'll be okay"

"Me too" Z sighed "me too"

_To Be Continued…_


	8. Chapter 8

Kat sighed as she looked at her necklace, her wedding ring was there; it had been their solution to keep the rangers from knowing that they were married. The knew those rangers, they would make a huge deal about it and then they would want a wedding… sure they had planed to have a wedding, but the rangers didn't need to know that they were married before that time.

Kat wanted to put the ring on her finger she really didn't feel like she was married with the ring on a necklace instead of on her hand.

She took the necklace off, removed the ring from the chain and placed it on the ring finger of her left hand. She then smiled as she felt it on her hand and finally felt like she was really married.

"Hi Kat" Syd called

"Can I help you Sydney?" Kat replied

"Oh, I was just coming to make sure you're okay" Syd asked sweetly

"Syd, thanks for your concern, but I'm perfectly fine," Kat replied calmly

Syd noticed Kat's wedding ring, but she didn't say a word, she figured Kat had married Cruger and in the back of her mind, she was thinking it was about time that they got together.

Syd walked out of the lab and ran straight into Bridge Carson… she grabbed his arm and dragged him into an empty room.

"Syd, what are you doing?" Bridge asked

"Well, Bridge I've got to tell someone what I just found out so it might as well be you… Kat is married!"

"Kat is WHAT?" Bridge demanded

"She got married to Commander Cruger" Syd said

"Well… what do you expect, she is pregnant with his baby" Bridge said, "It's about time that they married"

Later that day: Bridge was walking around the base thinking about what Syd had told him. Kat Manx was married to Cruger, it was a shock to say the least, but as he had said earlier, it was about time for them to get married. Bridge had told Jack who told Sky.

"Kathleen" Sky said as he walked into their bedroom

"Yes?"

"Did you know that you mom got remarried?" Sky asked

"No…"

"According to Jack she did, he heard it from Bridge and he heard it from Syd"

"Syd said it, okay I have to talk to mom about this"

"Kathleen, make sure you stay calm about this" Sky said

"Don't worry, I'm calm" Kathleen sighed, "I just want to know if this is true, if it is, then you need to worry about me"

Kathleen walked into Kat's lab and sighed as she saw her mother's ring.

"Mom, when did you get married?" she demanded

"Kathleen, when did you hear?"

"I heard two minutes ago from Sky, who heard it from Syd, through Jack" Kathleen said frustration evident in her voice "mom, of all things for you to keep from me… marriage! You got married behind my back. Mom, I don't believe you!" Kathleen stormed out of her mother's lab in anger; she couldn't believe that her mother had kept her marriage a secret from her.

Kat sunk back in her chair then grabbed her communicator.

"Doggie, I need to talk to you" Kat said

"I'm on my way"

Cruger arrived in Kat's lab

"What's wrong, Kat?" he asked

"Kathleen found out about our marriage, Syd figured it out and then spread the word through the rangers" Cruger saw Kat's hand and realized how Syd had found out

"How did Kathleen react?" Cruger asked

"Not well, Doggie, we should have told the rangers about our being married right after we got married, none of this would have happened if we had" Kat sighed

"You're right, Kat, Kathleen and Sky should have been informed of our marriage, they are affected by it more than any of the other rangers" Cruger sighed

Kathleen walked around a corner, not exactly watching where she was going and ran into Jasmine.

"Jasmine, I'm sorry"

"It's okay" she replied not realizing that her glove had caught on something and suddenly the ripping sound caught both girls off guard.

"Eh?" Jasmine looked at her right hand to see that the seam had come out of her glove "Oh no"

"You have to wear these, don't you?"

"Yes" Jasmine replied

"One minute" Kathleen went for her communicator

'Okay, if anyone has gloves in this base, it would be Bridge' Jasmine's powers were no longer in her control, but the thoughts she heard from Kathleen were comforting. Kathleen didn't see her as a bother, but instead a friend in need.

Bridge arrived a few moments later and among the two of them they managed to get Jasmine a new pair of gloves.

Kathleen was in her room playing with her daughters when her mother came in. Kathleen said nothing just picked Emily up to take her to change her diaper.

"Kathleen, I'm sorry I didn't tell you about my marriage to Cruger sooner" Kat said, but Kathleen didn't even look up to acknowledge that her mother had spoken to her.

Kat walked over to her daughter.

"Kathleen, you have to talk to me eventually" Kat could feel the tension in the room and realized how upset her daughter really was, and didn't appreciate her daughter's not even acknowledging that they were on the same planet much less in the same room. Kat gave a frustrated groan and left the room.

Boom sighed sadly as he saw his mentor walk in.

"Hi, Dr. Manx… how did your talk with Kathleen go?" Sophie asked she had known for a while that Cruger and Kat were married, she just respected their need for privacy and kept quiet about it.

"Horribly, it was like we weren't even on the same planet, much less in the same room… Sophie, I think I might have made one of my biggest mistakes." Kat sighed

"I can't disagree with you on that…" Boom said, "Sophie tried to tell you that… that wasn't the right way to go about this, but you didn't listen to her"

Kat sighed, they were right, she had made a huge mistake and put a giant rift between herself and her own daughter, one she hoped, one day, she could get rid of.

_

* * *

To Be Continued…_


	9. Chapter 9

The rest of the day went slowly for Kat and Cruger and they dreaded the next day as they had to call two people who would probably make this stupid mistake seem all that much worse, his commanding officer, and her remaining family. Sure she figured most of her family would take this news well, her siblings, save for Sarah, had always hoped that one day she would get the chance to raise a child from infancy, but her mother might be another story. She was the old fashioned typed that believe the old folklore that if a healthy baby died it meant that the mother shouldn't be a mother, and would probably turn this into a bad thing.

Cruger was talking with Supreme Commander Birdie first thing that morning.

"Well, Cruger, out of everyone I know I thought you two would have been more responsible than this, but I guess nothing can be done, history is just that, and we both understand that it can't be changed." Birdie sighed "At least Kat can rest assured of one thing with you… she will always be safe"

"Yes sir, that, I have to say, is correct."

"Take care of her, Anubis…" Birdie signed off and Cruger sighed, that had gone better than expected, had even Birdie seen that they were meant to be together… sure some had hinted that they were destined to be together, Silverback had teased him plentifully on how there must have been supernatural forces at work as Silverback himself hadn't even noticed that Kat was alive.

Birdie sighed 'One would think Cruger would be a bit more responsible than this, but I guess we all make mistakes… at least he is doing what he can to better this situation.' He thought.

Meanwhile Kat was calling her brothers.

"Kat, what a surprise…" Noah said as he realized it was his sister he spoke to "well, what's going on in your little corner of the galaxy"

"Well, Noah…" Kat sighed, "I'm having a baby"

"What?" Noah gasped, "you just sit tight, I'll be at there as fast as I can, sis"

"Noah, I'm fine, really… Cruger and I can handle this ourselves"

"Cruger, so… sis, you mind telling your big brother exactly what happened"

"Noah!" Kat rolled her eyes he was only a few minutes older than she was and here he was treating her like she was the baby of the family "I'll tell you when you get here, okay?"

"Okay" Noah replied

"And Noah, do you know how I could get in touch with Joshua, I seem to have lost the number"

"Listen, I'll have him call you"

"Okay, I'm going to call mom"

"Oh, good luck" Noah winced

"Thanks a lot" Kat deadpanned before saying good-bye to her brother and making the dreaded call to her mother, Crystal.

"Katherine, I thought we went through these things, you know what happened with Kathleen"

"Mom, Kathleen didn't die, she was kidnapped at birth" Kat said

"Yes, and Milton Jr.?"

"He was born premature and his lungs weren't developed… he died because he couldn't get enough oxygen in his lungs" Kat protested

"Katherine, you know as well as I do bad things will happen because of this, your son's premature birth should have told you that it wasn't meant for you to have children." Crystal scolded

"Mother, I try to give you good news and you turn into the worst thing you've ever heard… can't you, for once in my life, just be happy for me?" Kat felt the tears forming in her eyes

Cruger came in as Crystal Manx continued to rant against her daughter's third attempt to have a child

Cruger placed a comforting hand on Kat's shoulder as Crystal went on and on

"So, Katherine, who is that behind you?"

Cruger was in human form so she had no idea he was Sirian, and Kat figured it was best she thought he was human.

Kat looked back and saw Cruger standing there

"I take it he is the father of your new baby" she said spitefully

"Yes, he is the father, he is also my husband" Kat explained

Crystal cut out as Kat finished

"Well, I guess I'm finding out where Sarah learned how to give the cold shoulder" Kat observed in frustration, but it hid that deep inside she was hurt… her mother always had a way of cutting her deep

Cruger hugged Kat near as she now cried, her condition made her emotions unstable and mood swings a common occurrence, she was more sensitive now and apparently her mother didn't get that fact

"She isn't going to accept her grandchild" Kat whispered

"Don't worry, it's okay" Cruger tried to comfort Kat

"Kat, hey sis are you there?" it was Joshua, he was about six years Kat's junior and was fiercely protective of his sisters.

"Josh…" Kat slipped from Cruger's embrace to talk with her younger brother

"Kat, what's wrong?"

"I just got through talking with mom"

"Oh, Noah told me you were going to call her, I figured you'd get an ear full… why did you call her anyway, you usually avoid her like you do Sarah" (A/N: Kat and Sarah fight every time they are put in the same room because they're "as different as chalk and cheese (Rini from Sailor Moon)")

"Well, I wanted to tell her something that I just found out"

"And that is?"

"I'm pregnant…"

Josh disappeared from view for a moment

"Josh, what are you doing?"

"Getting ready to leave"

"To go where exactly?"

"Earth, I can't exactly leave my big sister alone when she's having a baby"

"Very funny Josh, people who didn't know us might think you were the older of us not me" Kat couldn't help but laugh at her brother. She should have expected this from him, but she didn't and that made it all the more funny!

"Um, I believe Noah is the oldest"

"You know what I meant, between the two of us I'm the oldest!"

"Oh, yeah, right…" Joshua shook his head "Joseph won't be coming, he can't… I know he wanted to meet Kathleen and her daughters, but he's training and won't be able to leave the base"

"That's okay, there will always be other chances" Kat sighed

"Kat, is something going on between you and Kathleen?"

"It's a long, complicated story Josh, I'll tell you when you get here" Kat sighed and they signed off.

"I take it we need to make sure there is enough room for your brothers to come into the base until you have your baby"

"And a while after knowing Noah" Kat said

Then Sergeant Joann Manx appeared on the screen

"Sergeant Manx, it's good to see you" Cruger said

"Hi, Commander" Joann said, "Aunt Kat, dad told me what you told him… I take it this didn't go over to well with Kathleen"

"Well, she took the pregnancy pretty well actually… she just didn't take the news of my getting married too well…"

"Let me guess, you conveniently forgot to tell her and she found out from someone else"

"... Yes" Kat said hesitantly

Joann rolled her eyes

"I'll talk with Kathleen and see if I can't get through to her"

"Thanks, and good luck"

"No problem, Aunt Kat… Katy should be there soon to fill the pink ranger slot in Kathleen's squad"

"Okay, I'll let her know that" Cruger said

_To Be Continued…_


	10. Chapter 10

Night fell on the base and Cruger and Kat had now gotten together in one room as they were now considered a married couple it wasn't frowned on for them to share one room.

Kat was seated on the edge of the bed, Cruger sighed, they had never actually shared a room, sure, there was the one night that they neglected the regulations and she spent the night in his bed… Tonight was different, tonight she could be there with him, tonight they didn't need to sneak around to be together during the night, it was allowed.

"Doggie, I hope Kathleen doesn't stay mad at me"

"Don't worry Kat, Jo will do her best to help you" Cruger assured her gently

"I know she will, but Kathleen is as stubborn as I am… I don't know if Joann with be able to get through or not"

"Just try to relax, you know that stress isn't good for you or your baby" Cruger said

"You're right, Doggie" Kat smiled as they laid down in bed

They said their good nights and the lights went out on that day. They went to sleep slowly, the new of this would wear off eventually and it would become normal to them, but now it was something strange and new that they could lay in each other's arms all night and have people knowing that they were there, because they were married, everything changed.

The next day Joshua and Noah arrived at Earth station along with Cadet Katherine 'Katy' Williams to find that Kathleen and Kat weren't talking to each other, at all. Kat told Noah and Josh about what had happened to lead up to her pregnancy and her daughters lack of communication with her and Katy went to talk to her cousin.

"Kathleen, you know you can't freeze your mom out forever," Katy said

"Watch me, Katy…"

"Kathleen, you're being a worse than my mother and you know how bad that is" Katy said angrily

"Don't you dare compare me to Aunt Sarah"

"If the shoe fits…" Katy growled "Kathleen, I know you were hurt when you found out your mother got married behind your back… but it's no excuse to hurt her now!"

"She shouldn't have kept this a secret from me!"

"Kathleen, I'm not going to argue with you there because I know I'd lose that argument, but listen sometimes you just have to forgive and forget"

"You're beginning to sound like Jo!"

"Well, at least one of us is using our brains for once."

Kathleen started to say something, then, Joann walked in.

"Ma'am" both girls saluted respectfully in response to the arrival of their superior.

"At ease" Joann looked at the youngest cousin, Katy "Cadet Williams, do you think you could give Mrs. Tate and myself a bit of privacy?"

"Yes ma'am" Katy saluted and left

"Kathleen, I heard you and your mother were in the middle of a fight, and I wanted to lend my thoughts to the situation" Joann paused briefly. "Kathleen, I know, you're mad at your mother for this, no one can blame you for that, but there is one thing I want you to think about… how would you feel, if say, in the future, Erin or Emily did the same thing to you that you're doing to your mother, how would you feel?"

Kathleen looked at her baby girls as the took their nap under the supervision of the babysitters, who were just younger cadets who volunteered to care for any small children on the base while their parents worked.

"Horrible, I would never want my daughters to do that to me, ma'am"

"Then why are you doing it to Kat?"

"I don't know, ma'am"

"Well, cadet Jewish proverb states that our children will do to us what we do to our parents…"

If that wasn't incentive to change, nothing was, Kathleen sighed

"This has gone on long enough, I guess I need to go talk with my mom, thanks for the advice, Jo" Kathleen said and they headed out of Kathleen's room and headed for the lab, they had to talk to Kat, Kathleen needed to apologize to her mother.

"No problem, Kathy"

They arrived and were surprised when they saw Jasmine standing with Kat

"Hello" Jasmine said

"Jasmine, how are you doing?"

"Fine, and you?"

"Fine" Kathleen smiled and turned to her mom "Mom, is there something going on here?"

"Yes, I found a way to get Jasmine back home"

"But what about Z"

"I have a special device that Jasmine will take with her and she will use it to sent Z back here" Kat explained then turned to her daughter "Kathleen, you're talking to me?"

"I might have been mad at you for not telling me, but it wasn't right for me to freeze you out like that, I should have found out why you didn't tell me, not just get angry like I did, I'm sorry"

"I'm sorry that I didn't tell you" Kat smiled and then turned to Jasmine

"Well, Jasmine, it is time for you to go… but I'm glad we got to know you"

"As am I" Jasmine smiled and took the item from Kat's hands "Thank you, you all made me feel real welcome here" Jasmine said in slightly broken English

"You can speak English?" Kathleen said in surprise

"Yes, I'm just not comfortable speaking English… I am not, how you say, fluent, yet" Jasmine said

"Gokouun o inorimasu" Kathleen said (A/n: for non-speakers that mean 'good luck'… I looked it up I don't speak Japanese myself)

"Arigatou gozaimasu" (A/n: formal 'Thank you', she is acknowledging Kathleen as a superior) Jasmine paused "you speak Japanese?"

"Very little, I just know a few words and phrases"

"That's okay, what you do know is good" Jasmine smiled

Jasmine said her good-byes and walked through the porthole.

Swan gasped as Jasmine appeared in the Lab

"Jasmine?" Swan said in surprise

"Swan-san!" Jasmine gasped

_To Be Continued…_


	11. Chapter 11

Ban gasped in shock when he walked into the Lab and saw Jasmine standing in the lab.

"Jasmine!" Ban said

"Ban!" Jasmine turned as Hoji, Sen, Tetsu and Umeko began to pile up behind the, now frozen, Dekared, knocking him off of his feet.

"Ban, where is Z?" Swan asked

"I'll get her," Hoji said

"Tell me where she is, I'd like to meet her before she leaves" Jasmine said "I've learned a lot about her from her friends, I'd like to be able to see the girl, I was learning about in her dimension."

"Here is a translator"

"I already have one" Jasmine replied revealing her ear where Kat's version

"What kind of gloves are these?" Umeko asked

"These are the kind that their green ranger wears, he gave me these when I accidentally tore a seam out of mine" Jasmine explained "they seem to fit better than mine… I like them"

Hoji told Jasmine where Z was and she went into the room

"Z?" Jasmine asked

"Yes?" Z looked up to see a strange girl standing in the doorway.

"I'm Marika Reimon, but my friends call me Jasmine"

"So you're Jasmine… I've heard about you, and your powers" Z said

"I've heard about yours as well."

"Oh, you mean this" Z replicated and the replica waved when Jasmine looked at her

"Yes, that" Jasmine smiled as Z's replica disappeared "I have a way for you to get home"

"Really?"

"Yes…" Jasmine smiled, "your friends miss you… and I'm sure you miss them"

Z arrived home to almost be smothered by hugs from Jack and Bridge!

"Guys!" Z said

"Sorry, Z" Jack said

"Sorry, Z" Bridge said

The other rangers were glad to have their yellow ranger back welcomed Z

The time soon came that it was insisted that Kat went on maternity leave, but she refused, she felt that she was needed in the lab. She didn't want to give up her job and Felix shouldn't have been surprised by the fact that she refused to go onto maternity leave, she liked to work… her daughter often referred to her as a workaholic

It was three days before Kat was suppose to have her baby and the rangers were called to battle a strange monster, they didn't know what it's power was.

Kathleen and Cruger pulled their swords and the monster began the battle, using Krybots to split the rangers.

Kathleen fought off the robots to the best of her ability until she got slashed from behind

"W… What?" she turned around to see that Cruger was the one that had struck her.

"Commander, we're on the same side" she protested "why did you strike me, sir?"

Cruger didn't respond

"Commander?" She said and put her sword up to block his next attack with a strike of her own.

"Commander, you've got to snap out of it," Kathleen cried as she fought her commanding officer with whatever strength she could muster.

The Krybots were long gone and the rangers were watching in horror as Kathleen and Cruger fought each other, and it quickly became apparent that Cruger had the advantage in their fight.

Kathleen was soon forced to dimorph and lay on the ground

"Commander, you have to stop, you're going to kill her if you continue!" Sky said

Cruger hesitated as he looked into Kathleen's eyes… he had married her mother, she was his stepdaughter, could he strike her, no… he might not be able to remember at that particular moment why she was so important to him, all he knew was he couldn't strike her.

"Guys, we have to reach him, otherwise we may never get our commander back" Z exclaimed "Power down!"

Cruger looked up as Z powered down… he remembered her… vaguely.

"Oh no, my brainwash is failing!" the monster said

"Z's right! Guys we've got to demorph, let him see our faces!" Jack said and powered down and stood by Z

"I agree" Syd said "Power down!"

Sky looked at Bridge who shrugged and then they powered down as well and joined their comrades. Cruger backs off and then turns on his enemy.

"You… you tried to turn me against my own power rangers, for that, you will pay!" Cruger said angrily, the monster was judged to be guilty of the crimes he had been accused of and placed in containment.

The rangers gathered around Cruger when his communicator went off.

"Yes?" answered

"Commander, it's Sophie… Kat is going to have her baby… today!"

_To Be Continued…_


	12. Chapter 12

"WHAT?" everyone said together

"Kat has been having contractions since the beginning of your battle… she thought that it was false labor, but, according to Felix and the obstetrician, this is the real deal… she's going to have her baby" Sophie explained

"We're on our way, Sophie!" Cruger said

"Um, Commander, we're down a patrol jeep" Kathleen said

"That was you, Z and Syd… right?"

"Yes"

New arrangements were made and the rangers got on the patrol bikes and Cruger got on the Delta ATV

Kathleen rode with her husband, Z rode with Bridge and Syd rode with Jack.

The rangers arrived back at the Delta base and headed straight for the infirmary.

"Dr. Felix how is my mom?" Kathleen asked

"She's fine, but this baby probably won't be here for a little while yet…"

"So, basically, we've got some time on our hands."

"Yes, quite a bit of time" Felix said

"I'm going to check on Kat" Cruger walked off towards where Kat rested in a private room… he was stunned, she wasn't due for three days… then again it wasn't that horrible, three days, the baby would be fine.

Kathleen sighed and plopped in the nearest chair, her husband nearby to comfort her.

"Well, now what?" Jack asked

"Now… we wait…" Kathleen said

"What should we do?"

"Well, you can tell us about this alternate team of power rangers" Jack said to Z

"Okay, well… they aren't much different from you guys… only their yellow ranger is the one that wears gloves, not the green ranger" Z smiled, "the only one with powers is the yellow ranger, Jasmine and hers are strong!"

"Really?" Bridge asked

"Yeah, really" Z smiled "You guys don't know how glad I am to be home"

"And we're glad to have you home"

Three hours pass and the rangers had spread out after being told that they would be informed when the baby was born. Everyone, except Kathleen and Sky, went to the rec. room, they stayed in the infirmary to be near Kat and Cruger.

It had been too long since Kat's last pregnancy, she had forgotten how bad giving birth was… her son would be twenty-three or twenty-four by this time. It was a big stretch for her to recall what that had been like. Cruger held Kat's hand helplessly, there was little he could do for her and if there was anything he hated more than feeling helpless, he couldn't think of it at that moment.

He rubbed her spine with his free hand slowly to try and soothe her… he hated to see her in pain, but he was helpless to change this.

The hours passed like days and the two and a half more hours that passed before Kat's baby came were excruciating… in more ways than one. It seemed like an eternity for everyone involved, but no one more so than Kat… this was intense and there was no denying it was real.

The baby came late that evening… a baby boy, his name, Anthony Cruger.

Cruger stood looking at the new baby as he slept in the crib.

"You do know you can hold him," Felix said

Cruger picked up the fragile infant in his arms, Felix left, and Cruger sighed as he sat in a chair

"You don't know how lucky you are to be alive… no… you don't even know your own name yet" Cruger whispered to the infant that now rested in his arms "you are your mother's little miracle… so many told her that she couldn't have children or that she shouldn't, but here you are, healthy, full of energy and life… You, my son, have a bright future ahead of you… I promise you that" Cruger smiled as his son yawned

Cruger stood and walked into the room where Kat rested, Felix had asked him to take Anthony into his mother's room, there was a crib in there for him

"Kat?" Cruger called gently

"Hmm?" she replied drowsily

"How are you feeling?"

"I'm okay, Doggie" she replied as he approached her bedside, "I see you're bonding with our son"

"Yes… I'm still finding it hard to believe that… I'm a father"

"Well, Doggie, believe it, because you will be for a while to come" Kat smiled "you can do this, don't worry… I'm sure this baby will be one of those boys that look up to his father… No, you know what, I know he will be… I know you Doggie, you'll give him all the reason in the world to look up to you."

Cruger looked between his wife's face and that of his new son and sighed as he reverted to human form… this had been the start of the whole deal, the thing that brought them together… If that accident hadn't occurred, he would have never gotten the chance to bond with Kat on the level that he had, and his son would have never been born.

Kat knew that blessing she had been handed when her son was born… she was lucky to get the chance to try to have another child, luckier still to be successful in having this baby boy. She had done everything right and this time she was given her son… it was a sign that she and Cruger had been meant to be parents… together.

Kat stayed in the infirmary and recovered a few days before going back into the base, but work was not suppose to be on her agenda just yet, but try keeping Kat Manx out of her lab, anyone who has will tell you it's darn near impossible.

That day Kat was sitting at the computer, working when Cruger walked in

"Commander, I tried to tell her that she shouldn't be working just yet, but she didn't listen to me" Sophie said "everything is up to date, I don't know what on Earth she found to do that I haven't already taken care of, I'm twenty minutes ahead of schedule"

"I'll talk with her"

Cruger walked up behind Kat and gently lifted her hands from her keyboard.

"Kat, I believe you aren't supposed to be working yet… I hope I don't have to lock you out of your lab again"

Kat had to laugh, she remembered the time after she hurt her back (A/N: reference to my story, "To Help a Friend")

"No, Doggie, you won't have to resort to that again" Kat smiled as Cruger let go of her wrists and she got up and turned to face him.

She then went to check on her baby boy… he was asleep at the moment, and seemed so peaceful. She couldn't hide that she was bonding tightly with her child, she knew he'd be okay… she wondered how one baby could rally that kind of support for one individual.

Meanwhile:

"Well, Katy, I have to say, it's been a long time since you've been here" Jack commented

"Yeah, Jack it has, but apparently, you haven't changed any… although, I was surprised to hear that Kathleen was married with two kids" Katy said

"We were all surprised when Kathleen and Sky said they were together" Jack smiled

"I'll bet you guys were" Katy sighed, "What have you been up to lately, Jack?"

"Me… not much… just trying to get by"

"As always" Katy smiled

"Well, well, is there something in the air here or what?" Jo asked

"What do you mean, Ma'am?" Jack asked

"Well, let's see, first Kathleen and Sky get married, then Cruger and Kat have a baby, and get married, I assume"

"Yes, Ma'am they are married" Jack confirmed

"Then I see you two together"

Jack was taking a sip of his soda when she said those words, he ended up spitting out the mouthful that he had at the moment.

"What?" he asked in shock

"We… we're just friends, Jo" Katy said

"I'll leave you to your conversation but remember… denial is not just a river in Egypt!"

"Joann Manx…"

"Whoa, Katy… she is out superior!" Jack said

"You're right… and you've got soda on your jacket!"

"Shut up!" Jack retorted

"Oh is that the best you can come up with, Landers?"

"Nope, I've got plenty more where that came from"

They began to play fight and Joann couldn't contain her laughter as she watched

'I knew it, they like each other!"

_To Be Continued…_


	13. Chapter 13

Sydney looked down the pathway as Alex sat alone. She had to smile, she had to admit it, he was cute… but she had no idea he had a thing for her as well.

Syd walked over to him

"Hey Syd" he said

"Hi, Alex… how are you?"

"I'm okay, I guess, and you?"

"I'm fine" Syd smiled

"Well, Syd… are you doing anything this evening?"

"I was planning on going to see the baby again but other than that, no"

"How many times have you seen Anthony since he was born"

"Once or twice a day"

Alex chuckled, "Just as I thought"

Meanwhile: Kat was caring for Anthony when a call came in for her

"Hello"

"Katherine, I need to speak with you"

"Mom, I don't have time for this" Kat said

"Katherine dear, I wanted to apologize for how I reacted when you told me you were going to be a mother, I should be proud that my children are having families of their own, what happened to Milton Jr. was no one's fault, it was fate… I guess he was meant to die because it would cause that friend of yours to come close to you"

"You mean my husband," Kat corrected as she approached the screen where the satellite feed came in

"Awe he is cute, that's your baby?"

"Yes mom, what brought this on?" Kat asked suspiciously

"A young man from that base called me and had a long talk with me about how much damage what I was saying really was doing… I realized something Kat, I never meant to hurt you, I guess, I'm just stuck on our old traditions"

"Times have changed mom… and I'm glad to see that you are changing too"

Jack smirked as he overheard Kat's conversation with her mother… his plan had worked… he hated it that Kat and her mother were fighting, he had overheard what Joann told Kathleen and didn't want to see a fight result between Kathleen and Kat… that was the last thing that either of them needed.

After Kat and her mother reconciled their differences Cruger walked in and was surprised to hear that Kat's mom had admitted that she was wrong.

"Kat, I believe we have some important plans to make"

"Yes, our wedding" Kat smiled "soon, Doggie, soon" she placed Anthony in his father's arms

"Have you decided on your maid of honor?"

"Kathleen… your best man is?"

"Sky… Kat…"

"If you're wondering, I'm asking my brother to walk me down the isle…" Kat said almost as if she had read his mind

"Sometimes I wonder if you're psychic," Cruger said

"No, I'm not, I just know you too well," she laughed

Katy sighed as she walked into the rec. room where Jack sat looking smug.

"Okay, what has you looking so smug?" she asked

"Nothing, nothing" he replied

"Jack… you're up to something, spill before I make you" Katy replied

"You can't make me do anything"

"You want to make a bet on that Landers"

"Sure"

"Oh, I don't recommend that" Kathleen said from the other side of the room

"Why do you say that?"

"Oh, you'll see" Kathleen smirked as Katy pounced on the unprepared red ranger

"Hey! Didn't see that coming"

The duo played 'uncle' for a little while and it ended up that Jack could hold his own against Katy better than Kathleen had figured. It ended up with Katy flat of her back and Jack straddling her waist tickling her when she gave.

"Well, Katy, what do you think now?" Jack asked as they parted

"Well, Landers, you beat me fair and square, your secret is yours" Katy started away

"You two do know that didn't look right," Sky commented

"Come on Sky, don't be so hard on them" Kathleen said

"Why, they're setting a bad example for the lower ranking cadets," Sky protested

"Sky, come on, lighten up"

Sky said nothing just walked over and sat by his wife. She snuggled into his side and he put his arm around her

"Awe" Jack teased

Katy smacked him over the back of the head

"Hey!"

Katy walked off before he could say anything further.

Kathleen got up and went to check on her daughters and was surprised to come across Z

"Hey, Z, what's wrong"

"I hate him, I hate the way he dresses, I hate the way he does his hair, I even hate the way he ties his shoes" Z said completely referring to Bridge

"You noticed how he ties his shoes… girl you do have it bad!" Kathleen commented offhandedly "for whom?" she paused briefly, "let me guess… Bridge"

Z glared at Kathleen giving the elder girl the impression that she was right, which she was.

Kat sighed as she got ready, she and Cruger were going to tell the rangers about the wedding plans, but first she had to find her daughter in order to ask her to be her maid of honor, Cruger had called Sky to the command center to personally ask him.

Kat pulled her communicator

"Kathleen?" she said into it

"Yes, mom?" came Kathleen's reply

"Can you meet me in my lab, I've got something important to ask you"

"Sure, I'll be right there, let me check on Erin and Emily first" Kathleen replied

"Okay"

The conversation ended with that and Kathleen and Z headed for Kathleen's room

"Z, you need to face it, you like Bridge… I faced it with Sky… but then again I had pressing circumstances that kind of forced our relationship to move faster than we had first intended for it to go" Kathleen sighed as they got to where the babysitters had the twins laying down for their naps

"I thought I'd just check on my girls, how are they doing?"

"Great, ma'am… just taking their nap"

"Good"

Kathleen left and Z stayed to help with the girls

Kathleen arrived in her mothers lab a little perplexed as to what her mother wanted to ask her.

"Mom, what is it you wanted to ask me?" Kathleen asked

"Well, Kathleen… Cruger and I… we're going to have a formal wedding… it's not going to be very big, just family and friends" Kat paused "I wanted you to be my maid of honor"

_To Be Continued…_


End file.
